You don’t have to be a UF student to learn in Gainesville.
Mindful Movies, a free film series, kicks off 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. tonight at Alachua County’s Downtown Branch Library. Mindful Movies will play documentaries to create community dialogue about global issues and how they can be addressed locally, press liaison Sarah Thompson said.
“We wanted to show documentaries because it’s a way to present the issues initially,” Thompson said. “It’s a powerful medium.”
Mindful Movies hopes to attract between 20 and 100 people who are interested in getting involved in the community.
The library will also screen films Oct. 3, Oct. 17, Oct. 31, Nov. 7, Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and Dec. 19.
Mindful Movies also hopes it will serve as “inspiration and motivation” for locals to get involved in solving them, Thompson said.
The movies will deal with a variety of issues ranging from the contemporary medical industry to global energy. The criterion to choose the movies is that they help raise awareness, Thompson said.
In addition, Mindful Movies is working with organizations around Gainesville to provide a platform for them to connect with residents.
One of these organizations, Gainesville Loves Mountains, is the reason Mindful Movies will be playing “The Last Mountain” Oct. 17, Thompson said. The group is dedicated to stopping the use of mountaintop removal mining for coal, an issue the movie highlights.
According to Otto Pliel, a representative at the library’s Downtown Branch, the library is providing the space for the event.
“Our library is moving in the direction of reaching out into the local community more,” Pliel said.
Also involved is UF’s Office of Sustainability, which program assistant Michael Amish said is helping promote the event.
“It is generating discussion about sustainability in Alachua County, which is important,” he said.
